Ideas

To put together this issue was… different. I suppose one could call the process many things, but to me ‘different’ covers it best. We’ve already been working from home for three years so we were used to that. And moving meetings from my dining-room t

You can have some real fun combining what you already have in your house with second-hand finds. The modern white table with its simple oval shape is perfect for the mixture of chairs. Give your old Louis-style and French country chairs a new look wi

♥ chair with a loose seat ♥ upholstery fabric of your choice ♥ hammer and upholstery nails (or a staple gun if the wood isn’t too hard) ♥ glue gun ♥ craft knife ♥ fabric scissors Place the seat on the fabric, with enough fabric all around to be able

COCOFEATURES.COM The wall was painted green, to match the 1950s French-style couch. Makien had the paint specially mixed at the DIY store. The couch was found at a thrift shop, with the upholstery in great condition. The Hollywood Regency side tables

Dress up your dining-room chairs with a touch of paint. DIFFICULTY: easy TIME: weekend, drying time included ♥ wooden chairs♥ universal undercoat♥ white gloss enamel paint♥ chalk paint in the colour of your choice (we used Tjhoko in Goodness)♥ paintb

DIFFICULTY: medium TIME: 2-3 days ♥ technical drawings on page overleaf♥ root design on page overleaf, or use your own design♥ SupaWood (9mm thick)– 2 x 420mm x 190mm (parts 1)♥ SupaWood (16mm thick)– 2 x 420mm x 137mm (parts 2)– 1 x 158mm x 137mm (p

DIFFICULTY: intermediate TIME: 2-3 days ♥ fabric and matching sewing thread♥ 2 x zippers (55?60 cm)♥ dressmaker’s pencil / Frixion pen (erasable when heat is applied)♥ sponge cut to size: 75cm x 75cm x 30cm high (your finished cover will be slightly

Serves: 4-6 Preparation time: 15 minutes Cooking time: 20 minutes Oven temperature: 180°C ♥ 2 large brinjals, halved lengthways♥ olive oil♥ 2 cloves garlic, crushed♥ 15ml lemon juice♥ 5ml grated lemon zest♥ 2ml dried mint♥ 45ml chopped parsley♥ half

DIFFICULTY: medium TIME: 1–2 hours If you’ve cooked with turmeric and ended up with everything, including your hands, stained yellow, you’ll know that it makes a perfect natural dye for fabric. Follow the same steps as for colouring wool (see page 70

Serves: 6-8 Preparation time: 15 minutes Baking time: 45 minutes Oven temperature: 180°C ♥ 500ml self-raising flour♥ 350ml castor sugar♥ 2 large eggs♥ 60ml melted butter♥ 250ml milk♥ zest and juice of 4 lemons♥ 30ml cornflour♥ 750ml boiling water♥ ic

DIFFICULTY: medium TIME: 1-3 hours We all have that one pair of tired, worn-out jeans that we just cannot bring ourselves to throw out. Why not turn them into a Japanese-quilt-inspired rug? Cut the jeans into small rectangles or squares and sew the p

Take plain glycerin soap (available from most retailers) up a notch by adding coconut oil, rooibos tea leaves, jasmine, rosemary, essential oils… in fact, anything natural that you prefer. DIFFICULTY: medium TIME: two hours Grate the glycerin soap in

THE MOTORCYCLE DIARIES (2004) - South America AMÉLIE (2001) - Montmartre, Paris THE HUNDRED-FOOT JOURNEY (2014) - Lumière, French Alps THE SOUND OF MUSIC (1965) - Salzburg, Austria AS IT IS IN HEAVEN (2004) - Norrland, Sweden UNDER THE TUSCAN SUN (20

DIFFICULTY: easy TIME: 20 minutes to paint a 1m x 1.5m design Do you have a wall that screams out to be painted but you have neither a roller nor enough paint to completely cover it? Here is a fun way to decorate a wall using a little paint and a sco

The corner of the room in which I have created my computer space, my home office, as part of the ‘new normal’ we have all had to adjust to, feels like being at the beach this morning. There is a mistiness in the air that allows watery blue light to s

A black-and-white photo of seven women knitting in a London bomb shelter during World War II recently found its way onto my social media feed. It made me realise that when we can take control of something – even if it is just the stitches on our knit

A recent post on Facebook during lockdown – the time of restrictions and home confinement – caught my attention: “Pray for the huggers… we are not okay.Do you know how hard it isnot to hug when you’re ahugger at heart?The struggle is real.” I am a hu

Water only when the soil la thoroughly dry. Require at least six hours of direct sunlight each day. Water the plant deeply, once every three weeks. Grows test with lots of direct light. Water only when the soil is thoroughly dry. Grows best in bright

DIFFICULTY: average TIME: half a day YOU WILL NEED ♥ leaf templates on page 108 ♥ cardboard in the colours of your choice ♥ craft paint in the colours of your choice ♥ paintbrush ♥ florist’s wire ♥ florist’s adhesive tape ♥ craft glue ♥ craft knife a

DIFFICULTY: medium TIME: 2-3 days ♥ technical drawings on page overleaf♥ wood (in this case meranti)– 1 800mm x 144mm x 22mm♥ wood glue (Ultra)♥ 1 can of regular paint primer (white)♥ 2 cans of spray paint (we used matt white)♥ chalk paint (we mixed

At Design Indaba earlier this year, trend forecaster Li Edelkoort spoke about the ‘green wave’ that is here already and will continue to grow. And about how we will be adapting our way of living – to a new lifestyle where inspiration comes from natur

The need to live ‘greener’ from head to toe, in the way we eat, travel and decorate our homes, will increase after the end of the COVID-19 crisis, according to all predictions. Green beauty is a growing trend. It brings with it long-term benefits for

DIFFICULTY: easy TIME: weekend project ♥ long gloves♥ embroidery design (above)♥ carbon paper♥ pen or pencil♥ embroidery thread in the colours of your choice♥ embroidery needle♥ light bulb (optional)♥ sharp scissors♥ spirits to remove visible drawing

I don’t seem to be able to simply order a book online without browsing through all the others on offer, which is how I discovered Grandma, Tell Me and immediately ordered a copy. A few hours before South Africa’s doors closed towards the end of March